America-born winger Tommy Seymour warns against complacency as Scotland face
South Africa coming off the back of a 42-17 win over Japan

Must try harder: Tommy Seymour scores against Japan in Scotland's 42-17 win, but the winger was unhappy with his overall performance and has vowed to be on his guard ahead of the South Africa gamePhoto: PA

Tommy Seymour has only been around the Test scene for a few months, but the winger has already figured out how it works in Scotland. In short, it usually takes a good kick up the backside before the national team decide to show what they can do.

Indeed, Seymour owed his first cap, against South Africa in June, to the fact that Samoa had whacked that rump the previous weekend, claiming their first win against the Scots with a 27-17 scoreline. Scotland went on to lose against the Springboks, but they put in a wonderfully energised performance, leading 17-6 at one point before falling to a 30-17 defeat.

In which light, the fact that coach Scott Johnson saw “more good than bad” in Scotland’s 42-17 victory against Japan last weekend should set a few alarm bells ringing around Murrayfield ahead of the team’s meeting with South Africa on Sunday.

Seymour, however, is a glass half-empty (if even that) sort of fellow, and he looked at the Japan game rather differently.

“It’s potentially easier to be on your guard if you have come off the back of a poor performance,” Seymour said.

“Japan was a mixed bag for us. It was a great win, a good points margin, but we weren’t happy with some of the aspects of the middle part of the game.”

Seymour was particularly unhappy about his own defensive error in the build-up to Japan’s first try. He more than redeemed himself with two tries of his own, but the mistake bothered him for days afterwards. Maybe it is something to do with his being born in Nashville, Tennessee – his father was working there at the time – that has left a maudlin streak.

Seymour’s specific mistake was to be caught out by the pace and angle of Japan wing Kenki Fukuoka. Ah well, it is only Bryan Habana this time.

Aside from that threat out wide, however, Seymour knows that South Africa’s plan A focuses on their mighty forwards’ strength.

“You know what you are going to come up against with South Africa,” Seymour said.

“It’s not a massive mystery now. They’re going to hit you big, they’re going to hit you high, and you’ve just got to make sure you attack them in the right areas of the park, so you don’t get embroiled in this arm-wrestle, which is what they want.”